Piccadilly Line Tube strike: More London Underground hell tonight as walkout goes on

Commuters queue for the Tube at Victoria station during the height of the strike
@mangosaul

Union bosses were accused today of damaging London’s night-time economy as another strike was set to wipe out services tonight.

A 48-hour stoppage by Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) workers on the Piccadilly line ended this lunchtime. Staff were due to walk out again at 8.30pm, bringing the Night Tube to a halt.

Bars, restaurants and clubs across London will be impacted by the action, business leaders warned.

David Lutton, economic policy director at business group London First, said: “London is just beginning to unlock the potential of our night-time economy and there’s no excuse for closing the Night Tube’s doors through a Friday night in the West End.

“Tens of thousands of theatre-goers, people enjoying bars and restaurants and countless workers will face misery heading home.”

Piccadilly line services are going to be wiped out tonight as strike action resumes 
AP

He added: “The RMT has to think about London’s future and help make our capital a truly 24-hour city, delivering billions of pounds for the economy and creating thousands more jobs.”

Simon Thomas, chief executive of the Hippodrome casino in Leicester Square said: “There’s enough pressure on London to deliver a world-class offering for tourists and business visitors at the moment. A swift resolution is needed.”

Colin Stanbridge, chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “London businesses feel the impact of every strike and at a time when the overall costs of doing business are rising, that is not good at all.

“The Piccadilly line also serves our national hub airport. This strike will cause difficulties for business people needing to get to vital trips, while the impression on arriving tourists will be quite negative”.

Transport for London warned those travelling on the Piccadilly line this evening to complete their journeys early. The drivers’ strikes have been sparked by a row over industrial relations and were called following a breakdown in talks with transport chiefs earlier this week.

This morning angry commuters complained of delays and overcrowding on the Tube network as a knock-on effect of the 48-hour stoppage.

Student Gulay Dusmez, 20, said her journey from Finsbury Park to the University of Roehampton would take two hours instead of one. “I didn’t even have space to breathe properly, let alone have my own personal space,” she added.

Nigel Holness, TfL’s director of network operations for London Underground, said: “I apologise to customers who are suffering three days of disruption for no good reason.”

The RMT today issued a thinly veiled threat of more strikes. Mick Cash, RMT leader, said: “This week’s action has shown that our members on the Piccadilly line are rock solid in the fight for workplace justice and respect.”

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